Christian Non Profit Organizations can feel like panicking, locking down spending, changing strategies when times are tough or when their donors are watching every penny.
But some of the best practices for digital fundraising do not change during a recession... some do.
Let's discuss what your faith based organization needs to do online to help weather the storms of fundraising during a recession.
Christian Non Profit Organizations can feel like panicking, locking down spending, changing strategies when times are tough or when their donors are watching every penny.
But some of the best practices for digital fundraising do not change during a recession... some do.
Let's discuss what your faith based organization needs to do online to help weather the storms of fundraising during a recession.
Welcome to the, This is HIS story podcast. The executive director
and pastor guide to sowing and reaping online givers. Welcome to episode,
29 Fundraising during a Recession.
Well, I have noticed a few things in my couple of Decades of doing this and one that is nonprofits.
Normally, don't hire, you know, people like me fundraisers are digital fundraisers.
When things are good or when things are bad,
they normally higher in between when times are good for,
like post covid. There's a lot of organizational folded to think that they're doing.
Right during the good times and of course when it's in the bad it's a well too,
little too late, we don't have money
so my phone only rings off the hook
when we're in the in betweens
and whether we're heading up
or heading down is when the phone starts ringing for me because people realize,
wait a minute, whatever we're doing is about going to change.
How is that going to affect me, or will we were depending on this or expecting this?
And now we're expecting that. That and we need some assistance and between right well it's sort of,
it's sort of interesting. It's a funnel game
when it comes to fundraising fundraising is a funnel gain,
new name, cultivations and relationships,
bring conversions and conversions,
bring fundraising and dollars and support.
But just like, you don't make a best friend overnight that takes time.
Same with Owners, there's no magic bullet.
So what happens is when x a panic like well what can we do?
Well, the answer was well when when times were good,
that's when you should have invested
and widen the net and deepen the relationships not when you're in the pinch and of course not.
When you're in the bottom, when you can't afford it,
you should have been doing that, you know, all along and consistency,
consistently, I will tell you, this is a very interesting.
I'm blessed to have FC Dallas season tickets.
I love soccer. Her and I literally live about 10 minutes away from the FC Dallas field.
So I go to almost all the home games.
Everyone I go to, and it's really interesting
because if we're down one to nothing and there's literally 45 minutes left in the game.
I panic and I want whenever they get the ball,
just to kick it towards the goal and see what happens.
Just kick it to the gold, see what happens, you know,
maybe you have a shot. If you just get the ball down,
there may be some cases Us.
But they just run the plays
because they know that their best chance of scoring is through one of their plays.
And so, even though the hasn't worked and 90 minutes yet,
they still run the plays because they go to practice.
They know, they know their odds,
they know the other teams defense, they know the plan,
they're just waiting for that moment. Moment.
And I feel that sort of, as the way it comes with fundraising,
is we hope there's one social media post.
This is going to change everything one email,
that's just going to change everything and it's just not true.
It doesn't work that way.
And so running the plays is the best opportunity that organizations have
and it's running this funnel and that is new name,
cultivation, build relationships conversions.
And so when it comes, To fundraising you attack the pyramid.
I know that the donor pyramid is being challenged
of what that is but it still holds true that there are less people with more money to be on the top.
Then there are people the bottom. So it is a pyramid and you attack the top differently.
New tack the bottom, but just like,
when you're panicking, you can't go to a donor.
You have not built relationship with and expect them to write a check with the AMA in it,
the same works for the bottom of the pyramid to,
there is no social media post. One post that you're going to make,
that's going to solve all your problems. It's the continual drip,
it's the relationship. And spending time with the donor at the top that you hit,
gives him to give or give bigger
and it's relationships with the people at the bottom
and the consistent messaging that that makes what where you can score.
It's slow. It's the drip.
And that needs to You done over time,
not in a panic. Okay. So let's talk about a couple of things that are really important
and of course,
if your list of this podcast, you know, I focus on digital fundraising,
and I stay Within website,
social media, email apps,
you know, all the things digital. Obviously,
there's a lot of things I know about the other side as well,
but that's not my Bullseye. So let's stay list a digital right here,
okay. Well website Right. But bottom of the funnel is the digital,
it's your website, your digital asset, and of course,
the donation page, but a lot of people are missing these things.
So let's get right to them. Number one messaging,
it's the core of your website
because it's the core of your organization that you must message and tell people about.
And that's what your website here to do messages.
It is what you say, and how you say it,
it's how your visitors come to understand your mission.
And the value to the world,
you provide your Valium to Kingdom work.
When your messaging is disorganized or is too dense,
there's too much stuff going on your website or it's confusing.
You sort of lose credibility,
if you will. So I want,
I want you to think like this. Sometimes I ask people,
what, what does your organization do? And I get a five-minute answer.
Well, we have seven different.
Locations and this one bubble blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.
And at the end I'm like you help victims of domestic domestic abuse start over like oh yeah,
that's the simple. I'd say it's like no, no. That's the only way to say it.
Especially when it comes to your website. I need to know
what you do in a nutshell right off the bat.
It's that tagline. It's the hero image,
it's the message. Now, how you It will dig down into,
but if you don't have the what down into that business card sized quick saying,
it's going to be very confusing and I trust me.
I know I work with organizations that have been 5 years old,
10 years old, 50 years old, 100 years old,
and the longer you're around, the more you do in the more complicated,
you feel it is, but it can never leave the essence of what you do.
So if it is we help victims of domestic abuse start over.
Then you can show how if somebody wants to lean in and dig in which goes into the second point,
the visitor Journey, give them the why.
And if they get, if they're interested in the why
and the what they'll figure out the what and the how,
right? So to keep with it,
we help victims of domestic abuse start over.
Well show a problem show a solution.
Out of 10. Women are victims of domestic abuse.
I made that up. By the way, don't quote me?
Don't make a t-shirt over that 75.
78 percent of domestic abuse victims return to the perpetrator.
I made that up, but you get the point, see how we protect and love on the women who we serve.
Take a look inside our home to protect and heal,
mothers in East Los Angeles, right?
We build are websites too often with the about us page and mission statement page.
Age but show don't just tell your visitor what you're doing and how you're doing it.
So that then next,
this is really, really important. Sort of the next 18,
you need a compelling Next Step.
So we help victims of domestic abuse start over.
Give a mother a head start in life.
Help Amanda land her first job.
Give Kim Sun, a safe place to stay.
While her mother works or heels compelling,
next steps are huge.
Our websites are about generating inspiration that leads to motion momentum.
Real life action. We want people to have a clear next step of how they can be involved.
They see the problem. They know how the problem is going to be solved
and they know what their involvement we can reach that goal.
You want them to say, wow, what can I do about this?
Okay, those are three things that have your website isn't doing.
You're not going to convert. It doesn't matter how many people you get.
How many new names, you're not going to convert well,
with these basic steps. And I find most people are missing these basic
steps before they worry about their social me.
They may hire social media person, they're hiring the wrong consultant at the wrong time.
I see this all the time, people run, great plays.
Ways with social media. And they say, oh, this is the best practice that work
for us and then other nonprofits.
Go try to run that same play and it doesn't work.
It's because it's not built for them in this.
This is the main thing and that is conversion and messaging on your website.
Once you get this, then you worry about your social media.
Then you worry about your emails, then you worry about the top of the funnel,
but you got to get the bottom of the funnel done, right?
Or else the top doesn't work, which is why I Little bits.
What do you do during our session?
Because a lot of people work at the top of the funnel during a
recession with the bottom of the funnel not working,
right? Always work from the bottom up then it may know the then
you won't be frustrated with wasting money.
Trust me. We're not the bunt on my phone rings it's
because somebody tried it a lot of different ways and they're just not seeing the needle move.
They don't understand why what we're doing all the right things.
And this person said this was great
and they told me it was going to work
but it doesn't and the executive director or pastors call me and say what's happening.
And then I find that the stuff is when we the problem,
right? The secret to recession is the same as a when times are good.
It's the exact same and conversions,
pull people in build the relationship,
then the conversion and let them be your ministry partner.
Don't Panic, just do the right things.
Run consider. If I was a football coach, it just be handoff,
get a couple of yards, get a couple yards, get a couple yards.
While you throw a crazy past,
but just chug away, chug away,
make sure your messaging the is super tight on your website,
give your visitor a journey through the problem,
or the solution. And at the very end,
give them a compelling Next Step that they can be part of.
I'll read it one more time Stitch to take notes,
we help victims of domestic abuse start.
Now, take a look inside our home and see how we're we protect and heal mothers.
In East Los Angeles, and then helped Amanda land her.
First job, give her mother a head start in life,
give Kim Sun. A safe place to stay wire mother Works,
our heels. Those are next steps.
Make sure your website has all these and you will do good.
And the good times and the bad hope this helped.
Thank you for listening to today's episode of.
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